Making an impact

Santya Lanman, VP Finance and Administration, joined the Rosslyn BID in May 2015. Born in Taiwan, Santya grew up in Northern California – Silicon Valley. She now lives in Arlington with her husband and two kids. Santya earned her BA in Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and her MBA from the University of Washington, Seattle.

Rosslynva.org: What does your perfect day look like?

Santya Lanman: Rolling out of bed at 9 a.m. to 75 degrees, sunny, no humidity or mosquitos, white sand beach and turquoise waters. Day of hiking, kayaking and snorkeling, then a great meal with great wine by the beach.

Rosslynva.org: What do you like best about your job?

SL: The ability to make an impact. Whether it’s helping to shape our evolving community, mentoring a colleague or giving directions to the Metro, I like feeling like I’m helping to make my little world a better place in big ways and small.

Rosslynva.org: What’s your guilty pleasure?

SL: Binge-watching Game of Thrones! What am I going to do when winter is over?!

Rosslynva.org:What are you good at?

SL: Listening. I find that being able to listen carefully is helpful to everything I do.

Rosslynva.org: Anything else we should know about you?

SL: I love to eat and experience all types of food. I love to learn about food and how it's prepared. My dream job is a food critic. I can talk about food for hours and hours.

Rosslynva.org: So, what's your favorite kind of food?

SL: I love spicy food. There are so many different types of spicy, though. I'm not sure where my tastes would fall on a spiciness scale.

Rosslynva.org: Do you like to cook spicy food at home?

SL: Well, when I cook at home I tend not to season food. I let people self-season. I have at least six or seven different types of chili-based condiments that I add at home. They're mostly Asian. I have a fried Chinese chili sauce: red chilies fried in oil with a hint of salt. I also have one that's red chilies mixed in with a fermented bean that has a bit of umami to it. I like to add that a lot. And I like my hot wings, but especially the classic Buffalo wings: just pure Tabasco, butter and wings. We also like to eat out and try new places. I can eat a lot of food for my weight! For me, food isn't just about eating, though, it's about the experience.